Mill Creek is a 1,460-acre development in Kane County planned around the natural flow of the land.
The entrance, about one mile west of Randall Road and Fabyan Parkway, is set back about 300 feet from the road. The road leading through the site snakes around a 27-hole golf course as it branches off into six housing sections. A creek winds along one side of the property.
The land is near Geneva and was assembled from eight farms. Craig Shodeen, president of developer Sho-Deen Inc., said the project was designed so that most of the houses have a view of the golf course. In some cases, lots near the golf course were left as open space to avoid blocking views, he said.
The project will include 1,600 single-family houses and 400 multi-family units and is expected to take 12 to 15 years to complete, Shodeen said. All the houses will be built by Sho-Deen or an affiliate company.
The center of the site is to be anchored by a commercial area designed with a small-town theme. Small businesses will line the first floor of two- and three-story buildings, with shop owners possibly living in the spaces above their stores.
While many municipalities want commercial property placed along the main roads, the approach was different in this case.
“The point of having commercial is not to compete with (neighboring) St. Charles and Geneva, it’s to serve the neighborhoods out there,” said Sam Santell, planning director for Kane County.
Santell said county officials focused on a desire to maintain open space, water quality and the natural terrain on the site. They wanted to avoid a “cookie cutter” design.
“We wanted the development to blend in with the countryside,” Santell said. “This idea of creating a sense of neighborhood and a sense of place is very important.
“What happens more today with developers is they tend to put back yards against the main street and people then build wood fences, which we call the Ft. Apache look,” he said. “We wanted to avoid” that look.
The single-family units are priced from $185,000 to $750,000 and are available in about 50 floor plans. Fifteen model houses are open.
Some lots are sold with premiums, ranging from $4,000 to $14,000, because of their location.
The developer also contributed funds to build an elementary school, which opened this fall on the site.
